In 2008 I became a home owner and decided to throw my first party. It was a Halloween party. There were 3 beer pong tables, 2 kegs, over 100 jello shots, and the next morning I found people I had never met passed out in my front yard. Needless to say, these parties became some what of a tradition. Well fast forward a few years later and now I have less desire to spend the next day mopping beer off the floor and collecting used solo cups from around various places in the house. But my love for hosting parties has never died. So this year Will and I thought it would be fun to have some folks over for the Academy Awards. And thus was born our first (and dare I say annual) Oscars Party! Here are some of the details on how I made this party happen:
Step One: Invite some cool people. The tough thing about the Oscars party was probably the guest list. You can’t throw a huge blow out party because obviously there needs to be enough seating space around the TV. So we invited only about 20 folks. You also get a few “no” replies and also a few no call-no shows ( I HATE THOSE!) but I’m blaming the fact that Sunday evening is a “work night” and not usually a big night to party at someone else’s house. To my surprise, we had a few more guys show up than I thought would. This made me very happy. But I think when “free dinner” is whispered, men come running. So in the end we had a total of 11 of some of my favorite girls and guys show up. Just enough to win some big money but not too many to feel over crowded.
Step Two: Decorate. Or as my cousin Kevin said “put on a Pinterest party.” This is true. I flock to Pinterest before every party. I have no shame in my Pinterest game. I don’t know where I would be without it! Even our wedding was about 80% brought to you in part by Pinterest. Anyways, back to decorations. I went with a lot of gold and black decorations including a DIY tassel garland (tutorial found here), a photo booth made from black and black tulle fabric from my stash, a red carpet made from felt from Michaels, two DIY paper Oscars statuettes (tutorial found here), and two slate director’s clapper boards and movie signage that I borrowed from my dad’s office. Add some gold vases from around the house and two balloons from the Dollar Store and there you have it. Under $20 to decorate the entire party.
Step Three: Feed your people. This is always the part of the party that can get a little pricey. But when the guest list is small and you get your gals to help with apps and dessert, the budget can stay pretty low. The menu consisted of BBQ pulled pork that Will spent the better, or should I say happiest part of Sunday making. (He loves cooking meat…must be a guy thing.) I also made a big platter of grilled veggies and a big ‘ole bowl of sweet potato fries because duh, they are the best. Our apps included chocolate covered pretzels that I made using this tutorial, a variety of popcorn, and lots o’ chips and yummy dips. And lastly, my favorite part was this adorable charcuterie that my friend Melissa labeled with various “Oscar inspired” names. 
Step Four: Make it interesting. The best part of watching the Oscars was betting on the Oscars, like you would at a Superbowl party. Which makes perfect sense seeing as the Oscars are my Superbowl. Earlier in the week I printed ballot forms online (downloaded from here). For $10 entry, everyone was able to fill out a ballot with who they thought would win and then play along during the show. The winner took home the entire pot of $110. Not to shabby for a Sunday night! 
So thats a wrap on our first Oscars Party. Anyone else out there have a good excuse to throw a party on a Sunday night? Let me know! And thanks also to everyone who came out!
